I am 100% glad I am a stay-at-home mom with Aria. There are so many things we get to do because my focus is solely on her upbringing instead of dividing my time between her and working outside the home. We spend a lot of time together and therefore, Aria can be pretty attached to me. There have been many times it has been really difficult to leave Aria in the church nursery or with a babysitter because she cries and cries when I leave. It has gotten much better as she has gotten older, but we still have some moments. The key for Aria is staying with someone she knows and trusts. Family and friends have never been too much of a problem because she feels comfortable with people she sees often.
However, there are two very special people in Aria's life who are neither family nor were they close friends before Aria met them. These two ladies are Connie and Robin and they both volunteer with the children's ministry at our church. Justin and I had not previously met Connie or Robin before Aria entered our lives, but you would never guess that now. These two very special people love our daughter almost as much as we do and they have made it absolutely wonderful to drop Aria off in the nursery at church.
We go to the early 8:00 am service and Connie has been there nearly every week of Aria's life to care for her. She always has a big smile and cheers when Aria arrives. Aria could say Connie's name and talked about her very early in her speaking abilities. There are never any tears when Connie is there. In fact, for awhile, all the other nursery volunteers would say, "Uh oh...Connie's not here," whenever she was gone for a week because they knew Aria has a special connection with her. I can't even begin to describe how much we appreciate Connie. She gets up early every Sunday morning, just to come spend time with infants and toddlers in the nursery at church. You can tell she thoroughly enjoys the kids because she is always happy. From the start, Connie has understood that Aria needs that special connection. She knows that building a relationship with the child makes it easier for them to leave mommy and daddy for awhile. Connie, we are forever grateful for the beautiful person you are and how much you have loved Aria. We love you, too!
Aria and I just met Robin this fall at MOPS. I think Aria might have drove Robin nuts the very first time she cared for her because Aria asked for mommy and daddy every two minutes. Finally, Robin decided to be silly with Aria and said, "mommy daddy mommy daddy," over and over, really fast, in a silly voice. Well, Aria thought it was hilarious and still says that whenever we see or talk about Robin. That was also enough to make a personal connection with her and we haven't had one teary-eye MOPS since. (Which is a big contrast to every MOPS being teary-eyed last year.) Robin is full of energy and has a lot of fun with the toddlers every other Tuesday at MOPS. Aria enjoys her because Robin always makes her laugh. It is also very clear that Robin loves Aria because we have heard from numerous people, "Robin told me she wants to take you home, Aria." I greatly appreciate Robin because I can go to MOPS stress free now. In fact, I seriously considered dropping out of MOPS because I didn't think it was worth causing my child so much grief. But again, a special lady who volunteers her time every other week saved the day. Robin, we appreciate how much you have connected with our daughter and made her smile and laugh. We love you!
When I think about these two very special ladies (and all the other people who touch Aria's life) I realize we are not raising our child alone. There will be many people who will influence Aria's life along the way and help shape the person she will become. I am so thankful for our church and for Connie and Robin, who volunteer their time to show God's love to the little people.
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